Comforting Corn Chowder

A perfect hearty soup for a chilly evening, this corn chowder is easy and versatile. Like most of the recipes on this blog, it can be adapted to suit seasonal veggies and while this version calls for bacon, it can also easily be converted to a vegetarian version.

I love that this soup is basically a meal in a bowl and is hearty enough to stand as a main course but only takes about 30 minutes to get to the table.

Other nice additions to this recipe include 1/2 cup of diced red pepper and/or some diced swiss chard to add more green veggies.

Comforting Corn Chowder

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

• 2 cups peeled potatoes, chopped into 1/2" cubes
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 can of whole kernel corn, rinsed and drained (you can also use fresh corn or frozen)
• 1/2 cup diced carrot
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup diced celery
• 4-5 slices bacon
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp flour
• a few sprigs fresh thyme, chopped
• bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 1/2 cups veggie or chicken stock
• 1/4-1/2 cup fresh cream, canned cream, or milk (fresh cream is best if available)
• salt and pepper to taste

Optional garnish

• 1/2 cup grated cheese (cheddar is best)
• 1/4 cup sliced green onion

Directions 

1. Cook the bacon on low heat until the fat is rendered and bacon is crisp. Set aside the bacon and reserve the fat. Skip this step for the vegetarian version.
2. In a soup pot, sauté the onions in the bacon fat and olive oil. For a vegetarian version, use butter or olive oil instead of bacon fat.
3. After 1-2 minutes, add the celery and sauté. 
4. When onion and celery are soft, add the flour and cook, stirring rapidly, for 1-2 minutes.
5. Add the broth, potatoes, carrots, corn, parsley, bay leaf and thyme. 
6. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20- 30 minutes or until potatoes are very soft. Stir often.
7. While the soup is simmering, cut the cooked bacon into bits.
8. Stir in the cream, and heat on low another 1-2 minutes.
9. Taste the soup and add salt and pepper to taste.
10. Ladle into bowls and garnish with cheddar cheese, bacon bits and green onions.

No Fail Yorkshire Puddings

Yorkshire puddings remind me of my childhood, and the Sunday roast beef dinners my mom would make when Grandma came to visit. Although I haven't attempted a roast beef dinner here in Nepal, Yorkshire puddings are great eaten with any stew or gravy meal.

Yorkshire puddings can be tricky and in my small oven I thought for sure these puddings would fail; either they would collapse or they wouldn't rise at all. Miraculously, they were near perfect, crisp on the outside, light on the inside. And the recipe was a simple as anything.

The only downside was I only have a 6 muffin tin, so between me, my husband, and my hungry toddler we were fighting over them!

No fail Yorkshire puddings

Ingredients

Makes 12

• 1 cup milk, at room temperature
• 3 eggs, also at room temperature
• 1 cup flour
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 tablespoons butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200C.
2. Put about 1/2 tsp butter in each muffin cup.
3. With a fork, beat the eggs, and milk in a bowl or large liquid measuring cup. It is easier if the vessel has a spout to pour.
4. Add in the flour and salt. Beat until there are no lumps and large bubbles are forming.
5. Put the muffin tin with butter in the heated oven. Watch closely until the butter is melted and hot but not burnt.
6. Take out the muffin tin. Pour pudding mixture into each tin, filling up 1/2 to 2/3 of the way.
7. Return pan to oven.
8. Cook for 10 minutes.
9. Turn down heat to 175 and bake until the puddings are puffed and golden. 20-40 minutes depending on your oven!
10. Don't open the oven until the puddings are cooked.
11. Remove from pan and serve immediately. 

Quick Beef Tenderloin and Mushroom Stew

The cold weather is slowly approaching in Kathmandu and beef stew is such a comforting, warming dish that is welcome during those chilly evenings. I haven't been terribly successful in finding a variety of cuts of beef that are good for stew, but it seems that I'm able to find beef tenderloin at pretty much any large or expat-oriented grocery store. (I always stick with the Nina & Hager brand recommended to me when I arrived). While tenderloin isn't ideal for stews, it means the meal can be cooked relatively quickly which is a bonus.

Like most meals I cook, this can be easily adapted to suit seasonal veggies although I think the mushrooms and potatoes are a must. The trick to this dish is not to overcook the meat! (I did the first time, as you can see in the picture this meat is more well-done than medium). Tenderloin should be eaten medium rare and anything beyond a medium will make it seem tough.

Ingredients

• 2-3 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 beef tenderloin (mine was small, about 1.5 -2 lbs)
• 1 ½ -2 cups potatoes, peeled and chopped 1-1.5 inches
• 1 cup carrots (3-4 medium sized carrots), chopped like potatoes
• 2 cups chopped mushrooms (I used oyster mushrooms as they are in season here. White mushrooms or a mix would also work)
• ½-1 cup shelled fresh peas
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1 cup dry white wine
• ¾ cup broth (chicken, veggie or beef)
• 2 Tbsp flour
• fresh ground pepper
• salt to taste

Directions

1. Heat butter and oil in a large skillet or, ideally, a dutch oven - on medium-high heat.
2. When pan is hot and butter starts foaming, add the entire tenderloin. Sear the meat about 2-3 minutes on each side, trying to brown all sides.
3. Once browned, remove the meat and set aside. If the pan is smoking, turn the heat down and add a little more butter or oil.
4. Sautee the onions and garlic for a minute in the same pan. 
5. Add the mushrooms and cook until they have released their own water. Add the potatoes and carrots.
6. Continue cooking on medium-high/high until some brown bits begin to collect on the pan, maybe 5 minutes.
7. Add flour and cook 1 minute, stirring vigorously and scraping the bottom of the pan as to not burn.
8. After about a minute, add the wine to deglaze the pan, making sure you scrape up all those little bits of deliciousness stuck to the pan.
9. Add the broth and peas. Bring to a boil then cover and turn down to low. Simmer on low until the veggies are tender (about 15-20 minutes). Stir occasionally and add a little more wine or broth if necessary 
10. While the stew is simmering, cut the cooled tenderloin into 1" chunks.
11. Add the chunks of beef to the stew and cook on low another 5 minutes or until beef is just cooked but still medium rare - careful not to overcook!

Serve with fresh bread or Yorkshire puddings.